The company will start notifying users of the update from October 7, 2025, via in-app alerts and emails.

This extends Meta’s long-standing personalisation model. Until now, likes, follows, and other platform activity determined what appeared in feeds and which ads were served. Soon, exchanges with Meta AI, whether by text or voice, will be added as another layer of data.

“If you chat with Meta AI about hiking, we may learn that you’re interested in hiking — just as we would if you posted a reel about hiking or liked a hiking-related Page,” the company explained. That information could then be reflected in feed suggestions, such as recommended groups, trail updates from friends, or targeted ads for hiking gear.

Meta says that conversations covering sensitive topics such as religion, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, will not be used to target ads. “People’s interactions simply are going to be another piece of the input that will inform the personalisation of feeds and ads,” said Christy Harris, Meta’s privacy policy manager.

The change applies to those who actively use Meta AI across its apps, which already has over 1 billion monthly users worldwide. If accounts are linked in Meta’s Accounts Center, interactions on one app (for example, WhatsApp) may be used to personalise experiences on others, such as Facebook or Instagram. However, encrypted chats will remain unaffected.

Again, users will not be able to opt out of this new data use, though Meta emphasises that tools like Ads Preferences and feed controls will still allow people to manage how recommendations appear.

The rollout excludes the United Kingdom, European Union, and South Korea, where regulatory restrictions remain in place.

The update comes as tech firms increase efforts to monetise AI. Google and Amazon have begun introducing AI-driven services tied to advertising and cloud products, but Meta’s approach, using everyday conversations with its AI assistant as ad signals across multiple platforms, is one of the most extensive attempts yet.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that personalisation is essential to the company’s AI roadmap. At a recent shareholder meeting, he stated that this year’s focus is on “deepening the experience and making Meta AI the leading personal AI with an emphasis on personalisation, voice conversations and entertainment.”

This follows thousands of questionable ads bypassing Meta’s screening process and appearing across Facebook and Instagram.

Between 1st and 14th January 2025 alone, CrushAI reportedly managed to push over 8,000 ads for its so-called “AI undresser” through Meta’s platforms. These ads linked users to sites that used artificial image manipulation to simulate nudity. 

Most of the app’s traffic, around 90%, according to Alexios Mantzarlis of the Faked Up newsletter, came directly from Meta-owned platforms.

The scale and frequency of these violations are not only a policy breach but a direct attack on user safety and digital dignity. Meta says it repeatedly removed these ads, but Joy Timeline HK continued, setting up new accounts and domains faster than the company could block them. 

In one case, ad accounts appeared under names like “Eraser Annyone’s Clothes” with a rotating list of numeric identifiers.

“I flagged several of these websites to Meta myself,” Mantzarlis wrote in January, highlighting how even public reporting didn’t immediately stop the flood of inappropriate content.

Meta’s frustration appears to have reached a boiling point. The lawsuit is a shift from internal enforcement to legal confrontation. It also notes a recognition that digital safety measures must evolve faster to deal with bad actors who are usually more agile and less bound by ethical or legal constraints.

These “nudify” tools have become a a challenge across the internet. Platforms like X, Reddit, YouTube, and even app stores have seen a surge in such services, with ads targeting users indiscriminately. 

TikTok and Meta have both banned search terms like “nudify” and “undress,” but policing this content has proven far more difficult in practice.

To stay ahead, Meta says it has built new detection systems capable of identifying problematic ads even when no explicit imagery is used. These systems use matching technology and a larger database of flagged terms and symbols to uncover deceptive ad content that previously went undetected.

The company is also disrupting coordinated ad networks. Since January 2025, Meta claims it has dismantled four major clusters of fake advertiser accounts promoting nudify services. These operations mirrored tactics used by disinformation and fraud networks, rapid domain switching, coordinated accounts, and evasion of AI filters.

“Today, we’ve filed a lawsuit against the entity behind CrushAI and are taking other steps to clamp down on nudify apps,” Meta said in a statement. “We have strict rules against non-consensual intimate imagery – whether it’s real or AI-generated – including the promotion of nudify apps.”

Meta has begun sharing intelligence with other tech companies through the Tech Coalition’s Lantern programme, a partnership involving platforms like Google and Snap to tackle child exploitation. Since March, Meta has supplied more than 3,800 offending URLs for review and takedown.

The firm is also lobbying for stronger legislative frameworks. In the U.S., Meta backed the Take It Down Act, which gives parents more control over app downloads and aims to limit children’s exposure to harmful tools.

The company says it’s working closely with lawmakers to put these measures into effect globally.

This campaign leverages advertisements from seemingly reputable brands, including Netflix, Office 365, and CapCut, to deceive users into downloading malware disguised as legitimate software.

The primary target of this campaign appears to be older male users, with the goal of seizing control of their Facebook accounts and harvesting personal data. 

According to Bitdefender, cybercriminals create convincing ads that mimic authentic services or popular applications, such as free, ad-free Netflix streaming and productivity tools, enticing users to click. 

Once a user interacts with these ads, they are redirected to MediaFire, a cloud storage platform where a malicious ZIP file awaits. The malware, embedded within this ZIP, uses Electron applications that visually replicate the advertised software but operate covertly to capture the user’s information.

One of the distinguishing features of the SYS01 malware is its adaptability. It is programmed to bypass many security detection systems, employing advanced techniques such as sandbox evasion and constant code updates from command and control servers. 

Bitdefender highlights that cybercriminals swiftly alter the malware’s code whenever cybersecurity companies detect and block a particular version, which allows the campaign to continue undetected on Meta’s platforms.

This malware’s design compromises individual Facebook accounts and also exploits business accounts. Hijacked accounts are repurposed by attackers to distribute further malicious ads, thereby expanding the campaign’s reach. 

This strategic use of compromised accounts has enabled the campaign to extend globally, impacting users across continents, including Europe, North America, and Asia.

Initially discovered in September 2024, the SYS01 infostealer has reportedly affected millions of users. Bitdefender emphasises that the malware remains active and continuously evolves, with new ads appearing daily.

The firm advises users to exercise caution when encountering online advertisements that promise free or premium services, even from recognisable brands.

Facebook users are advised to avoid clicking on suspicious ads and to be wary of software downloads from unofficial sources.

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